Back in February we wrote an article about ingredients that we would never use in our skin care products. You can read more about it here. This is the next part of the article and we will talk about ingredients that have a negative effect on our skin and body. On one hand showing what we would not use and on the other reminding our readers to avoid those ingredients in their daily skin care routine.
It’s good to know that the list of ingredients to avoid is growing bigger each year and we would like to spotlight some of the toxic ones that are doing our bodies harm. There are some ingredients that will not harm our skin and health in short term but longer exposure is not doing any favours either.
All EREZ Organic products are free of those ingredients
FORMALDEHYDE – with all sub-forms
This is a common ingredient that many users already recognize as being carcinogen and is used mostly in cosmetic glue, nail polish and hair products. It’s also one of the most allergenic substances that can be used in skin care products. High amounts cause cancer and even DNA damage.
There is a very small chance that you will actually find Formaldehyde in your skin care product. But be aware that there are certain ingredients that can over time release formaldehyde. The most well-known is Quaternium-15 and among others are Bronopol, diazolidinyl urea and imidazolidinyl urea. Watch out for those in your skin care product.
MINERAL OIL
You would think that an ingredient that contains the word “Oil” in it would be fine to use, but this is not the case with mineral oil or as its commonly known as Paraffin. Found in concealer, eyeshadow, lip gloss/balm and many other products and is a byproduct of petrolatum – this doesn’t sound nice already!
In comparison vegetable oils (Triglycerides) are endogenous to the human body and this cannot be said for mineral oils. Paraffin is made through fossil fuels and it’s just a side product, which has a negative impact on your skin and on the environment.
TRICLOSAN
This is an ingredient that we wanted to point out now that we use more hand sanitizer than ever. Triclosan is usually found in antibacterial products and can have major impact on hormonal behavior. What’s even more astonishing is that newer studies show that Triclosan could have an impact on bacterial resistance. There has a been a push to ban this product and it worked partly. But beware you can still find it in products such as toothpastes and mouthwash.
CARBON BLACK
This is a black pigment that is linked to cancer and is essentially a fine powder. Carbon black is used in a wide variety of cosmetic products (mascara and eyeliner) and can be labeled under different names (Black No.2, channel black, lamp black, carbon black and thermal black). Due to longer use of it the carbon black causes severe damage to the skin surface and it can lead to organ toxicity.
Note that this article is not intent to scare you or that you should blacklist all the products that you are using now. This can be used as a starting point and a new mindset for the future.